Second Time Around
by darveyscactus
Summary: Harvey and Donna's plans for a second wedding in front of their friends and family get derailed by the arrival of their daughter. Six years later, she finally convinces them to throw a party to celebrate their wedding.
1. Chapter 1

**I saw a prompt on Twitter, and then this happened...Finding my own kind of closure with the Suits series finale. (As per usual, thanks to my beta bb Sarah (catsballeths on Twitter) for her help with this! (pls check out her work if you haven't b/c my god what an artist)**

**Hope you enjoy this little take on the Specters in Seattle ~**

* * *

They had left New York quickly. Not so quickly that they'd disappeared like thieves in the night, but less than two weeks after their last day at the firm, their apartments were listed for rent, their belongings were packed, shipped, and sold, their final, tearful goodbyes were said - and they were off.

They didn't go to Seattle straight away, though, deciding they wanted to spend some time celebrating their marriage before starting their new jobs. They spent a week in Napa Valley, touring a different vineyard each day and falling into bed tangled together each night - drunk on the wine and the happiness that comes with marrying your best friend.

It wasn't until weeks later, as they were settling into their new home, that Donna was reminded of Harvey's promise to get married again for their families. She and Rachel were in her kitchen, glasses of wine in hand, unpacking the final boxes and making up for lost girl time, while Harvey and Mike were out at a bar, doing much the same.

"When are you going to do it again?" Rachel asked casually, unwrapping a vase and placing it in the cabinet.

"Do what?"

"Get married," Rachel replied with an exhale, as if it was the most obvious question in the world.

"Oh," Donna replied, taking another sip of wine and sinking down into one of their new stools on the other side of the counter.

"I don't know, Rach. We just moved, and started new jobs - a lot is happening right now, I'm not sure I have time to plan a wedding," she admitted with a laugh, looking up at her friend.

"I'll do it," Rachel replied, without missing a beat.

"Seriously?" Donna locked eyes with Rachel again, surprised by her earnest and enthusiastic response.

"Of course," she replied, reaching across the counter for Donna' glass and pouring her a refill, "you did it for me," she reminded her with a smile. "Plus, it'll allow you to make up for the fact that I wasn't at the first one," she added, shooting her friend a pointed gaze.

"You're never gonna let us live that down, are you?" Donna asked with a laugh, taking a sip of wine.

"Donna," she said with a huff, "you got _married, _and I found out about it after the fact," she stressed, resting her elbows on the countertop and leaning forward slightly, "and I know it was 'unplanned' and a 'spur of the moment decision'," she continued, using air quotes to emphasize some of her words, "but I really want to see my best friend dance with her husband on her wedding day," she finished with a smile.

Donna didn't respond immediately, but from the soft smile spread across her face and they way her head was tilted, Rachel could tell that she was more or less convinced.

"Plus," she added with a smirk, "aren't you going to want wedding photos to show to your kids one day?" she asked, teasing her.

"Let's take things one step at a time," Donna replied with a laugh, "wedding first, and then we can talk about the kids."

Another glass of wine each and they'd talked through the big items for the wedding. They decided to hold it back on the east coast, figuring it'd be easier for the four of them to fly back, rather than make everyone they'd want to invite fly to them. When it came to the question of venue, Donna was sure she wanted it to be at the same place as Louis', seeing it was also where she and Harvey had gotten engaged and married for the first time. Rachel had all but appointed herself as matron of honor, but Donna also wanted her bridal party to include Samantha, Katrina, and possibly her older sister, but definitely Louis. She guessed that Harvey would choose Mike as a best man, and he'd also ask Marcus, and probably Alex to be groomsmen. They were working on narrowing down a date using the venue's online scheduler when they heard Harvey's keys rattling in the lock.

"It looks like you ladies had fun," he said, striding into the kitchen and gesturing to the three empty wine bottles on the counter before dipping down to give Donna a quick kiss.

"And it smells like you did too," she replied, teasingly pushing him away from her as the slightest trace of marijuana filled her nose.

"So," she said, ignoring her and turning to face Rachel, "mission accomplished?" he asked.

"Mission accomplished," she confirmed with a nod, turning her pad of paper towards him so he could see what they'd been working on.

"Mission what -," Donna paused, looking between her husband and best friend for a few seconds before putting the pieces together.

"You put her up to this?" she asked, pointing to Harvey and laughing in disbelief.

"I did," he said, a smug grin spreading across his, satisfied that he once again was able to catch her off guard. "Because," he started to explain, knowing a question would be the next thing out of her mouth, "if I asked, you'd say yes regardless of how you felt if you thought it'd make me happy. If Rachel asked, you'd say yes only if you wanted to do it," he finished, locking eyes with her as a small smile spread across her face.

"You're something else, Specter, you know that?" she said, her hands finding his waist as he stepped in front of the stool she was sitting on.

"Marry me, again?" he asked.

"Just try and stop me," she replied, smiling as his lips found hers.

* * *

The next couple of months passed quickly. Between settling in at their new firm, putting the finishing touches on their house, and wedding planning, Donna and Harvey were kept busy. Not busy in the sleepless nights and stressed out way that their work in New York had sometimes left them, but the good, happy kind of busy that comes when you're building a life with someone.

It was because she was busy that the appointment she and Rachel had scheduled for a wedding dress had snuck up on her. As she pointed out when she'd first scheduled the appointment, even though it was her second wedding, it was her first wedding dress - and she wanted to find something she loved as much as that black Monique Lhuillier one she'd worn for her impromptu ceremony. Aside from marrying her husband again, finding a dress was the part she'd been most excited for and it broke her heart a little bit when she'd called to cancel the appointment scheduled for that Saturday.

She still showed up at Rachel's house as planned on Saturday morning, wanting to tell her about the cancelled appointment - and the reason behind it - in person. Coffee and pastries in hand, she let herself in and found Rachel waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" Rachel asked, clapping her hands together in excitement and practically leaping down from the stool she'd been sitting on.

"I cancelled the appointment," Donna replied, passing her friend a cup of coffee.

"Donna - What?" she asked, surprised by Donna's matter-of-fact delivery, and confused by the content, almost happy expression on her face.

"Rach, don't worry," Donna said, realizing that Rachel's brain was probably working a mile a minute to figure out what changed since they confirmed the appointment a week prior, "it's a good thing," she assured her as the corners of her mouth turned up in the slightest of smiles.

"What do you mean?" she asked, shooting her a questioning look.

"I'm pregnant!" she said excitedly, the smile on her face growing wider as she spoke. It was only the second time she'd said the words out loud - having just told Harvey the night before. She was thrilled, and still a little bit surprised by the news that a small part of her didn't quite believe it yet.

"Donna! That's fantastic!" Rachel practically screamed, pulling her friend into a tight hug as she did. "I thought you guys weren't trying yet?" she inquired, pulling back from the hug to look at Donna.

And they weren't, at least not exactly. They hadn't talked about kids before they were married, but when they met Louis' daughter and Donna held her in her arms, their eyes locked and they realized they were on the same page. Based on that moment, and several conversations that followed, Donna had made an appointment to remove her IUD a couple weeks after their honeymoon. They decided to let nature run its course and didn't think about it too much because, given their age and the fact that Donna had been on some sort of birth control for the last 20 years, they figured it would take time. Her periods had been irregular as her hormones balanced out, so she hadn't picked up on the pregnancy as early as she might have. The little bit of morning sickness she experienced didn't phase her either, as it happened the same week most of the firm was down for the count with a stomach bug. It wasn't until her favorite dresses started fitting more snugly around her stomach and chest that she thought _maybe_, so she scheduled a doctor's appointment. A week later the doctor confirmed what she'd started to suspect - that she was, in fact, about four and a half months pregnant.

"Donna, I'm so happy for you!" Rachel said again after Donna recapped how she'd discovered her pregnancy. "And Harvey's happy too?" she asked.

"Oh my gosh, he's thrilled!" Donna gushed, a smile forming on her face as she recalled Harvey's excitement from the night before when she'd told him. She'd ordered an impossibly tiny New York Yankees onesie and wrapped it up for him. She smiled as she watched his expression change from confusion to understanding to excitement in a matter of seconds. She could barely get the words 'I'm pregnant' out before he was at her side, enveloping her in a hug and sweeping her off her feet.

"This doesn't mean you have to cancel the wedding though," Rachel said, the tone of her voice almost questioning, wondering if Donna's cancellation of the wedding dress appointment meant she wanted to call off the whole thing.

"Rach, it's okay," Donna replied, giving her friend's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that she was content with her decision.

"There was a point, not too long ago actually, where I thought I'd run out of time to be a mom," Donna explained, "I want to enjoy being pregnant, without the added pressures of wedding planning and dress fittings. I'm not getting any younger, and this may be the only chance I get," she finished, a content smile spreading across her face.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Donna replied nodding her head as she spoke, "now, what do say you take those wedding planning skills and start planning the world's best baby shower for our little chickpea?"

* * *

Lillian Elizabeth Paulsen Specter was born on a cold and windy evening in early November. She was a week and a half early, which delighted and frustrated her mother in equal parts. Delighted because the last month of her pregnancy had left Donna stiff and uncomfortable, wanting nothing more than to finally hold her baby girl in her arms. But frustrated because the morning she went into labor, she and Rachel had planned one last shopping trip for the newborn, with Donna hoping to find the perfect outfit to bring her daughter home from the hospital in.

Harvey would always say that their daughter coming early was just another example of what a perfect blend of both of her parents she was. She always kept them guessing and had a hard time following instructions unless it was something she wanted to do too. From the moment the delivery nurse had laid Lily on Donna's chest, Harvey was absolutely besotted with his daughter. Her button nose that turned up slightly at the end and the little tufts of red hair on the top of her head were all Donna, and when her little hand reached up and clasped onto Donna's finger like her life depended on it, Harvey swore he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Rachel and Mike's daughter Morgan was born six months later and the two became fast friends. From afternoons spent playing on the floor of one of the conference rooms at the firm to weekend adventures around Seattle, the two were practically attached at the hip. Harvey and Mike always joked that watching their daughters interact was like watching miniature versions of their wives.

Soon enough, a routine developed where Harvey and Donna would have a date night on Tuesdays, leaving Lily with Mike and Rachel for the night. On Thursdays, they'd return the favor with Morgan giving the other couple a night to themselves. The two families spent most Saturday evenings together, laughing and enjoying one another's company over a home cooked meal and dessert prepared by the girls with Rachel's careful supervision. The nights often ended with the adults reminiscing over old times from their lives in New York over a bottle of wine as Morgan and Lily played in the next room, usually falling asleep to a movie.

One Saturday evening the two couples found themselves around Rachel and Mike's dining room table laughing over Rachel's retelling of the time she helped Louis sue Nigel Nesbit for custody of his cat as their daughters played their make believe creation of the moment - princesses and pirate ships - in the living room. The game was a lively one which involved removing all the cushions from the couch and scattering them around the room. As the two princesses escaped their evil captors, they hopped across the ocean from one cushion island to the next until they climbed aboard the couch pirate ship, home to a friendly group of pirates who'd bring them to safety.

As Donna stood to refill the table's wine glasses, they heard a large crash from the other room. Looking in the direction of the noise they saw two sheepish looking doe eyed six year olds making their way towards their parents. Lily held what looked to be a broken picture frame in her hands and, by the way she was pursing her lips together Donna could tell she was trying not to cry.

Unsurprisingly, Lily went right to Mike with the broken object. He'd always had a soft spot for her - unable to say no to even her most outlandish request when she flashed him those big hazel eyes. Donna had to hand it to her daughter - the kid was smart, and was learning how to read people in the same way that she could.

Lily deposited the cracked frame on the table in front of Mike and crawled into his lap, burying her face in his neck slightly before speaking. "I broke your pretty picture," she mumbled, which made Mike smile.

"The picture isn't broken, Chickpea, just the frame," Mike assured her, smoothing his hand over the top of her hair, "we can get a new frame."

"Really?" Lily asked, turning to look at Mike, still slightly unsure.

"Really," Mike confirmed, lifting the photo out of the frame and carefully brushing away the broken pieces of glass to reveal a perfectly intact picture, "see?"

"Okay good," Lily replied, satisfied with his answer. Her eyes were glued to the photo as she spoke. It was taken on Rachel and Mike's wedding day and showed a smiling Mike with one arm above his head, hand clasped in Rachel's who was mid twirl under his arm.

"Is this from when you and Rachel got married?" Lily asked, pulling her eyes away from the picture to look back at Mike.

"It is," he confirmed with a smile, "we have a whole bunch of pictures from our wedding, some even have your mommy and daddy in them," he explained.

"Wow," Lily breathed, her eyes growing wide at the thought. She looked across the table at her parents, contemplating for a moment before speaking again.

"Why don't you have pictures from your wedding?" she asked earnestly, the question causing both Mike and Rachel to laugh, as Donna and Harvey exchanged hesitant glances.

"Well," Harvey said with a breath, casting another glance to his side, hoping Donna would jump in with an explanation.

"We got married quickly -," Donna started to explain, before Rachel cut her off mid-sentence.

"So quickly they didn't even invite me to the wedding," Rachel said, eyes wide as she turned to Lily.

"What?!" Lily gasped, looking between her parents once again, "Mommy, you didn't even invite your best friend to your party! That's not nice!" She exclaimed. Harvey had to cough to hide his laughter at her reaction, her little lips turned downwards into a slight frown and the crinkle in her eyebrows a telltale sign that she didn't like what she was hearing.

"Turning my own daughter against me, thanks Rach," Donna shot across the table, rolling her eyes as she spoke.

"We were going to throw a big party," Harvey started, jumping in in an effort to salvage his wife's reputation in the eyes of his daughter, "but then you came along and took up all of our time," he finished, shooting her a wink.

"Yeah, you're quite the handful, little miss," Mike added, tickling her sides which made her squeal with laughter.

* * *

Later that night, Lily was tucked into bed and snuggled into Donna's side listening to her read _Eloise at the Plaza _for what was probably the millionth time. As Donna finished the book and placed it on the nightstand, she felt Lily stir slightly by her side.

"I'm sorry I ruined your wedding party, Mommy," she said quietly, her gaze shifted downward as her hands tugged the blanket higher up towards her chin.

Donna couldn't help but smile at the sincerity and slight remorsefulness in her voice. "Oh honey," she said softly, smoothing the top of her hair before planting a kiss, "you didn't ruin anything," she assured her.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked, her wide hazel eyes meeting Donna's, still slightly unsure.

"Absolutely," Donna confirmed with a nod, "we got to celebrate something even more special," she said with a smile.

"Really? What?"

"You of course!" Donna confirmed, sinking down lower onto the bed and pulling her daughter closer to her, so her head was resting on her chest. She ran her hand from the top of her head down her back several times. The two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Lily spoke again.

"Do you think you could do it now?" she asked, mumbling against Donna's chest.

"Do what, Chickpea?"

"Marry Daddy again," she clarified, as if her question was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Lily -," Donna started, but was promptly interrupted by her suddenly very excited six year old who had shifted and was now sitting on her knees.

"Please, please, pleeeeease?!" she practically begged, bouncing up and down slightly, "We could have a huge big party, and Rachel can come, and Morgan, and we can all be in the wedding and wear fancy dresses! I've never been to a wedding before and how cool would it be of my first wedding was yours?!" Lily finished, her voice growing more animated and excited with each word she spoke.

"Well, maybe," Donna said with a sigh, contemplating the idea, "I'll have to talk to Daddy."

"Pinky promise you'll think about it," Lily propositioned, extending her hand to Donna's.

"Pinky promise," she confirmed with a nod, grasping her daughter's pinky in her own.

Donna stood up as Lily slid under the covers again, satisfied with their brief conversation. "You know you can't break a pink promise," she said, as Donna leaned down to give the top of her head a kiss.

"Goodnight," Donna said, a sing-song tone in her voice as she turned off the lights and left her daughter's room.

* * *

"Guess what Lily just asked us to do?" Donna asked her husband, leaning against the doorframe to their ensuite bathroom as he got ready for bed.

"If she's starting another campaign to get a puppy -," Harvey started with an amused sigh.

"It's not that," Donna confirmed, echoing his amusement, "she wants us to get married again, and throw a big party."

"Let's do it," Harvey replied, turning away from the mirror to face her, a sincere smile spread across his face.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to one side, surprised by his immediate enthusiasm.

"Why not," he challenged, leaning against the bathroom counter and resting his hands on the surface behind him. "I mean, how many people get two wedding nights with the same person," he joked, smirking at her.

"Harvey, I'm serious," she said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly.

"Okay then," he reasons, reaching out a hand and inviting her closer to him. She crosses the bathroom in a few steps, stopping just in front of him. His hands come to rest on her waist as he continued, "think of it as a big anniversary party, followed by great sex," he said, leaning up to whisper the last part in her ear, making her laugh.

"We've been married for the last seven years," she said with a smile, her hands finding his shoulders, "who celebrates their eighth anniversary with a big party, Harvey? Shouldn't we just wait for ten years?"

"Donna, if we push this off again, it's never going to happen."

Donna thought for a moment as his hands traced lazy circles on her hips. She recalled how excited she'd been planning her wedding with Rachel, and the momentary sadness she'd felt cancelling her dress fitting when she'd found out about Lily.

"She asked to be one of my bridesmaids, you know," Donna said, a smile spreading across her face and Harvey could tell she was more or less on board with the idea.

"That's not fair! He scoffed, "what if I wanted her to be my groomslady?"

"Hmm, guess we know who her favorite is now," she said with a smirk before giving him a quick kiss and turning back into the bedroom to change.

* * *

The next morning, Lily wandered into the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of blueberry pancakes, which immediately brought a smile to her face. It was her favorite breakfast, and it usually meant the start of a fun day spent with her dad.

She climbed up onto one of the stools at the counter as Harvey was finishing the last of the batch. "Morning Chickpea," he said, greeting her with a smile before grabbing her a plate and piling it high with pancakes and placing it in front of her.

"Morning Daddy!" she said enthusiastically, returning his smile while gesturing to the can of whipped cream on the counter next to him.

"You're so your mother's kid," he said with a laugh and a shake of his head, "she loves whipped cream too."

"Well duh," Lily replied as she added a generous amount to the top of her pancake stack, "it's only the best."

"I couldn't agree more," he said, adding a small amount to his own pancakes.

"Where's Mommy?"

"She's at a yoga class with Rachel," he explained, "but I was hoping you could help me with something today."

"Really? What is it?" Lily asked, immediately intrigued.

"But only if you can keep a secret," Harvey challenged.

"I promise!" she nearly yelled as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

"Well, Mommy and I are going to get married again, and if we're going to do that, I need to propose to her again. Do you think you could help me find the perfect present?"

"Really? You're really going to get married again?!" In her excitement, she'd leapt off her stool and scurried around to the other side of the counter so she was standing in front of Harvey.

"Can I tell you another secret?" he asked, crouching down so his eyes were level with hers, grabbing one of her hands in both of his. "I'd marry her every single day if I could."

"Wow, that's a lot of weddings," Lily gushed, thinking about what Harvey had said, "you must love her a whole lot," she reasoned.

"You have no idea kid," Harvey said with a smile, scooping his daughter up so they could get ready for their day out.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, as usual leave a review and let me know your thoughts :) Part 2 coming soon ~**


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you going to get?" Lily asked excitedly as they walked along the sidewalk of the outdoor shopping center, slowing every so often to gaze into store windows that piqued their interest. Lily's small hand was clasped in Harvey's and she scampered along excitedly beside him, matching each of his steps with two of her own to keep up.

"I haven't decided yet, Chickpea," he replied, pausing for a moment to think on her question. He knew he wanted to get Donna something special, but he hadn't decided yet what that something special would be. "What do you think?" he asked, turning to his daughter for a suggestion.

"Well," she started, before falling silent to think about the question. Harvey couldn't help but smile at the look of concentration on her face. She'd always taken her role as his little helper seriously, and this assignment was no different. "Mommy already has a _million _rings," she said after a bit more thought, "you should get her something else," she finished with a definitive nod and a glance up to her dad.

Harvey let out a breathy laugh at her assessment, and thought about all the times she'd raid Donna's jewelry tray when they were getting ready for a fundraiser or event. The rings were Lily's favorite, and she'd stack them all the way to the tips of her fingers as she teetered around their bedroom in Donna's shoes that were much too big for her.

"Okay then," he replied, agreeing with her assessment. If she knew he was getting her a gift, she'd expect a ring. He surprised her with the first proposal, and suddenly he was excited about the chance to make everything - gift included - a surprise about the second proposal. "Another kind of jewelry then - necklace? Bracelet? Earrings?" he suggested, turning to Lily for a response.

Lily contemplated the question for a second, that look of concentration returning to her face, before she spoke again. "A puppy!" she exclaimed excitedly, looking up at her dad and tugging on his hand slightly.

"Now wait a second little miss," he replied, letting out a small laugh her response, "we're talking about a present for Mommy, not something for you," he reminded her with a smirk.

"Yeah but a puppy is the gift that keeps on giving," she explained, and the sass that filled her voice as she spoke was so much like her mother's that Harvey couldn't help but laugh harder.

"You're impossible," he said sweetly, shaking his head slightly as his hand found her back and led her into Hermés, an idea formulating in his mind.

* * *

They'd dropped off Lily at Mike and Rachel's ahead of their usual Tuesday date night, and she was a ball of excitement. Donna chalked it up to the extra pieces of candy she saw her daughter swipe from her secretary that afternoon, but Harvey knew her excitement was because of what he had planned for dinner. She'd been so excited about him proposing again since their shopping trip that at times he was worried she'd spoil the surprise. But she understood that Harvey's plans were a secret between the two of them and aside from a whispered 'good luck' in his ear as she hugged him goodbye that night, she hadn't said a word about their Sunday shopping adventure.

He wasn't nervous the first time he'd proposed because it hadn't been planned. He'd been carrying the ring around with him for several days waiting for the 'right' moment and had thought about what he wanted to say to her, but he didn't have solid plans. When the moment presented itself, he dropped to his knee without hesitation and spoke from the heart, words flowing freely and effortlessly. She said yes and it was perfect.

This time though, he felt the smallest bit of nerves rumbling around in his abdomen as he led her into the restaurant, bringing his hand to brush the inside pocket of his suit, checking for probably the tenth time that he hadn't forgotten her gift. It wasn't that he was nervous about her response - if she'd wanted to say no she was about eight years too late for that - he was really hoping to catch her off guard with both the gift and proposal and _that _was the cause of his nerves for the evening.

They had a heavy rotation of restaurants around Seattle for their date night, but Harvey chose somewhere he knew was a favorite of Donna's - a hole in the wall Italian place with a tiramisu that was 'to die for,' in her words. The conversation and the wine flowed freely, as they always did, but as their appetizer arrived, Harvey couldn't help but wish they could speed through to dessert because her gift was burning a hole in his pocket and he couldn't wait to see her face when he finally gave it to her.

* * *

"What's got you so excited tonight, Chickpea?" Mike asked Lily as the four of them - Rachel, Mike, Morgan, and Lily - sat down for dinner. Lily was hanging off the side of her chair, one knee resting on the cushion while her other foot was on the floor, her arm across the back of the chair rocking it back and forth slightly.

"Mommy and Daddy are getting married again!" she exclaimed, smiling wide at Mike and Rachel before shoving a large forkful of mac and cheese into her mouth.

Mike and Rachel exchanged confused, but excited glances. They were caught off guard by Lily's admission, and wanted to hear more. Rachel cast a sidewards glance at Mike, silently asking him if Harvey had mentioned anything of the sort to him. He shook his head slightly in reply, having heard nothing about it.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"Well," Lily started, letting out a sigh, clearly preparing to launch into a long explanation, "after dinner here last time, I asked Mommy if she and Daddy could have a real wedding party, since they never did before. She pinky promised and said she would think about it."

"Oh! You can't break a pinky promise, that's a big deal!" Morgan said excitedly, both her parents letting out a small laugh at her interjection.

"That's what I said!" Lily practically yelled, smiling across the table at her best friend.

"Anyways," Lily continued, turning her attention back to Mike and Rachel, "the next morning Daddy took me shopping to some fancy store to get Mommy a present because he said if they were going to get married again, he needed to propose again."

"And he's proposing tonight?" Rachel asked as a smile spread across her face, unable to hide her delight at Harvey's latest romantic gesture.

"Uh huh," Lily confirmed with a nod, "and it's a big secret because Mommy doesn't know!"

* * *

Harvey was tracing mindless patterns on Donna's left hand resting on the table with his fingertips. She was filling him in on Lily's parent teacher conference that afternoon, which he had to miss due to a last minute client meeting with Mike. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, but nodding and interjecting a few words when he felt it was appropriate. His gaze was fixed on the rings on her left hand. He'd been drawn to them from the second he'd slipped the engagement ring on her finger all those years ago - a physical reminder that what they had was forever.

"Harvey," she called, tapping his foot with her own under the table and pulling him out of his little daydream.

"Huh?" he coughed, reaching for his water glass with his free hand.

"You didn't listen to a word I just said, did you?" she playfully scolded as Harvey mumbled out an attempted apology in response.

"What's going on?" she continued, tilting her head to one side and shooting him a pointed look.

"Nothing, I just, um -," he started, racking his brain for something to explain his absentmindedness that she'd actually believe. Just has he was about to speak again though, the waiter returned to their table, placing their usual tiramisu dessert in front of them. He couldn't explain why he felt like he needed to wait until dessert to propose again, but he had a feeling it was because, at this particular restaurant, dessert was Donna's favorite course. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing he hadn't so much been nervous about the actual proposal, but rather the chance of blowing the surprise during the course of the meal.

* * *

"And did Daddy tell you how he was going to propose?" Rachel asked, leaning forward slightly and resting her elbows on the table, eager to learn more about Harvey's grand plan for the evening.

"Uh huh," Lily nodded as a huge grin once again took over her face. Mike chuckled under his breath at her reaction, it was clear that she liked being the center of attention and knowing things other people didn't - so much like her mother, he thought.

"He said he was going to wait until their dessert came, because he said the restaurant they're going to has her favorite dessert ever, tiro-moose," she finished, her face wrinkling in frustration slightly as she struggled with the pronunciation, which made both Mike and Rachel laugh.

* * *

After their glasses of wine had been topped off and Donna had scooped most of the espresso topping to 'her' side of the tiramisu, Harvey grabbed her hand again and resumed tracing patterns on the top of her palm. He shifted his gaze from her rings and to her face as she sipped her wine, studying her features. Their eyes locked as she set her wine glass down and he offered her a small smirk.

"You are so beautiful, do you know that?" he asked, his voice low and earnest as he continued to hold her gaze.

"Harvey," she started, a slight flush rising to her cheeks, taken aback by his out of the blue declaration.

"Ever since Lily brought up the idea of us getting married again I haven't been able to stop thinking about how beautiful you looked the day we did get married," he continued, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

"You didn't look so bad yourself, Mister," she teased, offering him a smirk.

"And I know it wasn't the most conventional wedding, and it wasn't the wedding you might have planned for yourself, but to me it was perfect. So perfect in fact that I'd really, really like to marry you again."

As he spoke, he rose from his chair and stepped to the side of their table, keeping her hand firmly grasped in his as he did. If Donna had been surprised the first time he'd proposed, it was nothing compared to the look of pure shock, excitement, and love he saw on her face the moment he dropped to one knee for a second time.

"Donna Roberta Paulsen, will you marry me all over again?" he asked, pulling out the gift he and Lily had chosen from his inside pocket. His smile grew wider as he watched her face light up even more when he revealed not a ring, but a watch.

"What do you say?" he continued, now holding both her hands in one of his, "will you marry me one more time?"

At his last question, she breathed out a laugh and some of the tears that had been pooling in her eyes spilled out and ran down her cheeks. "How long have you been wanting to make that pun?" she asked gesturing to the watch in his hand and shaking her head slightly.

"I'll take that as a yes," he replied, bringing his lips to meet hers.

"Harvey," she breathed as they pulled back from the kiss, "this watch is beautiful," she said as her fingers traced over the thin black leather band. The watch face was gold and oval shaped, rounded at the top with slight corners at the bottom. The Hermés logo made her smile as she thought about all their shopping trips over the years. It was gorgeous, but she wondered why he'd chosen a watch over anything else.

"Turn it over," he instructed gently, almost as if he could read her mind.

As she did she saw the engraving on the back and her breath caught and her free hand flew up to cover her mouth, the corners of her eyes crinkling and threatening to spill more tears.

_I'll never have enough time with you._

* * *

"What kind of present did you get?" Morgan asked, as captivated by Lily's story as her parents were.

"We went to some fancy store in that outside mall near that pizza restaurant that lets you play with the dough at the table. And it was so fancy that Daddy said I wasn't allowed to touch anything, just look. We picked out a really shiny black and gold watch!" she finished, excitedly recounting her shopping adventures to Morgan.

"Why did he get a watch?" Mike asked, intrigued by Harvey's choice of gift.

"Well, I told him not to get Mommy another ring, because she already has so many. I said he should get her a puppy instead, but he said no to that," she said, rolling her eyes slightly as she recalled the conversation. "He saw the watches and said it was the perfect gift, and he even got something written on the back!"

"What does it say?" Rachel asked.

"Something like time," Lily started to answer, pausing slightly as she attempted to remember the exact words engraved on the back of the watch, "there's too much time, or not enough time, I don't really remember, but he said that Mommy would love it," she explained.

"I'll never have enough time with you," Mike muttered, slightly under his breath.

"Yes that's it!" Lily said in response, "how did you know that?"

"Your Mommy said it to your Daddy in her vows when they got married," Mike explained.

"What are vows?" Lily asked, confused by the unfamiliar word.

"They're like pinky promises," Rachel explained, "you make them when you get married and they're such important promises that you have to keep them forever."

"Wow, pinky promises but more important," Lily repeated under her breath, processing what Rachel had just said, "they're gonna be married for two forevers then, if they're gonna make two vows, right?"

"With the way your mommy and daddy love each other, they're going to be married for a million forevers," Mike assured her with a smile.

* * *

"Is this why you were so nervous tonight?" Donna asked as they exited the restaurant, gesturing down to the new watch on her wrist. Her hand naturally finding the crook of Harvey's elbow as she spoke.

"I was _not _nervous," he huffed in response, shooting her a sideways glare.

"What, were you worried I was going to say no?" she teased, bumping her side into his slightly.

"No," he mumbled under his breath.

Sensing there was more than he was saying, Donna stopped walking and turned to face him. "Then what?" she pried gently, her head tilting slightly to one side as her hands found his biceps.

"I just really wanted to surprise you," he said softly, his eyes coming to find hers and offering her a sheepish smile, his admission making her laugh.

"Harvey," she said sincerely, "I was surprised," she assured him, her hands trailing up from his biceps and coming to rest loosely behind his neck, her finger tips toying with his short hairs. "But you didn't need to do this, I already agreed to marry you again," she teased.

"I know," he said after pulling her in for a quick kiss, "but I wanted to."

His admission brought a smile to her face and she couldn't resist kissing him again. "And I love that about you," she said earnestly as they parted.

"So," Donna continued as they walked around the corner to the valet stand, her hand easily finding his as they did, "did you plan this big romantic gesture all by yourself?" she asked, teasing him slightly.

"Of course I did," he quickly replied, feigning offense at her question.

"Really?" she asked, shooting a smirk in her direction.

"I mean," he paused, "Lily did help a bit," he admitted.

Donna's smile grew even wider at the thought of her husband and daughter spending time together picking out a gift for her. She knew Lily adored her father and loved when she got to spend time just the two of them. In that moment, she loved her husband even more for creating that special memory for him and Lily.

"She suggested we get you a puppy," Harvey continued, laughing under his breath as he thought back to their conversation, "but I think my idea was a bit better suited, don't you?"

"She's relentless, that kid," she replied, smiling at their daughter's ability to bring up her desire for a puppy in practically every conversation.

"And I wonder where she gets that from, _Mommy?_" Harvey shot back, his voice full of sarcasm.

"You're an idiot, Mr. Specter," she sassed, his hand coming to find her lower back as he led them towards their waiting car that had just pulled up in front of them.

* * *

Despite her best efforts to stay up and hear all about her parent's night, Lily drifted off to sleep in the backseat of the car almost immediately after Harvey and Donna picked her up from Mike and Rachel's house. Once they got home, Harvey scooped her up and carried her upstairs to her room, careful not to wake her. Just as he reached to pull back her covers and deposit her securely into her bed, he felt her stir slightly in his arms.

"How did it go, Daddy?" she mumbled into the crook of his neck, her voice still rich with sleep.

"How did what go, Chickpea?" he asked, sitting down on her bed beside her as she crawled under the covers.

"You asking Mommy to marry you again," she clarified, looking up at him, "was she surprised?" she asked excitedly.

"She was," he confirmed, smiling as he thought back to the evening he'd just shared with his wife. "And she _loved _the present. You were a great helper with this," he continued, smoothing a hand down her hair and giving her forehead a kiss.

"Was it better than the first time?" she asked, snuggling into Harvey's side as he shifted his position so he was sitting on the side of her bed, close to her pillow with one arm wrapped securely around her body.

"How do you know how the first time was," he countered, flicking her nose gently with his index finger, which made her giggle.

"I don't," she answered with a slight pout, "but usually when something is really good you want to do it again, right?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"When did you get so smart?" he mused, surprised by how accurate her statement was.

"Will you tell me? Pleeeeaseee?" she practically begged.

"Once upon a time," he started, the tone of his voice the one he reserved for bedtime stories, "there was a _beautiful _redhead named Donna."

"Daaaaadyyy," she interrupted, laughing and rolling her eyes slightly, "this isn't a fairy tale! Will you tell me the _real _story?"

"_Someone's _being difficult tonight," he said, teasing her and tickling her side, which made her laugh harder.

"Alright, alright," he conceded as her laughter subsided, taking a breath before telling his daughter all about one of his favorite memories.

"We were at Louis' wedding, but he and Sheila had left already because Lucy was being born," he started, setting the scene, "it was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and we were at a fancy house which was all decorated for the wedding. But nobody was really having any fun because we were waiting to hear about the baby."

"You proposed on Lucy's birthday?" she asked, already captivated by Harvey's story.

"And got married," he confirmed with a nod.

"That's a big day," she mused as he continued.

"Mommy and I were sitting at a table with Mike and she made a joke to try and make him laugh. But I couldn't stop looking at her, because she looked so beautiful."

"Was she wearing a fancy dress?" Lily asked.

"The fanciest dress you can imagine," he explained, "it was black with white and green flowers around the middle, and went all the way down to the floor with a big skirt. She looked just like a princess," he said, smiling as he watched Lily's eyes light up at that comparison.

"I was sitting there and realized that, because I love her so, so, _so_ much, I didn't want to wait another minute to get married. So I got down on one knee, pulled out Grandma Lily's ring that I'd been carrying around for awhile and asked her to marry me right there."

"Was she surprised like she was tonight?"

"She was _so _surprised, especially when she saw the ring," he said.

"Why were you carrying it around with you for so long? Weren't you afraid you would lose it?" she asked, thinking back to all the times she'd been told to be careful when playing with Mommy's jewelry.

"I knew for awhile that I wanted to marry Mommy," he explained, "so I was carrying it around with me waiting for the perfect moment to ask her. But I realized it didn't really matter when I asked her, because every moment I get to spend with her is already perfect."

"Wow," Lily breathed, letting out a sigh and snuggling deeper under the covers. Harvey laughed slightly at her fluttering eyelids and he could tell she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"How's that for a real story?" he asked, standing up and adjusting the blankets around her.

"I guess it is kind of like a fairy tale, because you're going to live happily ever after, right?"

"Exactly right," he confirmed, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

As Harvey finished tucking Lily into bed as she drifted off to sleep once again, he turned towards the door. He smiled as he noticed Donna standing in the doorframe, she was leaning against one side, her arms crossed and he head slightly tilted. She was smiling softly and her eyes lit up when they met his.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, crossing the room and taking hold of her outstretched hand.

"Well, I came in to check on Sleeping Beauty over there," she said, gesturing to Lily, "but then I heard you were in the middle of a fairytale of your own and I wanted to stay to the end," she joked, giving his hand a slight squeeze.

"What's that saying about not needing to dream anymore because your reality is already too perfect?" he joked in reply, giving her arm a small tug and leading her down the hall.

"How about you put those lips to better use and we see if engagement sex is all it's cracked up to be," she teased, giving his butt a slight tap as they scampered down the hallway to their bedroom.

* * *

In the weeks that followed Harvey's second proposal Rachel dove headfirst into wedding planning, practically picking up right where she left off six years prior. They decided to trim down the guest list slightly as they'd lost touch with some acquaintances and business connections they'd planned to invite the first time around. They stayed remarkably close to Louis and his family - Lily loving any opportunity to play with Lucy when they visited New York, as well as Samantha, Katrina, and Alex. Harvey had been worried about staying in touch with close friends on the East Coast when they moved, but Donna had assured him that the relationships worth maintaining would be easy to maintain - something that they both found true when it came to their former colleagues.

Both Harvey and Donna's families and their friends made plans to come to Seattle for this wedding, as the couple now had six years worth of friends and colleagues on the West Coast they planned to invite. Rachel quickly found a venue that met all of Donna's specifications and easily secured a caterer thanks to her in depth knowledge of Seattle's fine food scene. As with the first time, the last big item to check off the list was Donna's dress. It didn't take much convincing from Rachel for Donna to go full on bridal, and Donna had to admit she was having a blast indulging herself in trying on dress after gorgeous dress.

Rachel easily found a dress for herself, and two complementary flower girl dresses for Lily and Morgan that they looked adorable in so all that was left was Donna's dress. It wasn't that she was being picky about her dress, it was more so that she was really enjoying shopping around and trying on dresses. As she'd told Rachel, there was a time when she thought she'd missed her chance for the big white wedding all together, and then after Lily was born, she thought she'd just have her impromptu ceremony with Harvey. Not that there was anything wrong with that ceremony - in fact it was perfect - but the opportunity to marry her husband all over again was a gift, and she wanted to enjoy every moment.

"When you were little and thought about planning your wedding, did you ever imagine you'd be doing it with your six year old and her partner in crime in tow?" Rachel asked, laughing as she gestured to Lily and Morgan who were chasing each other around the dress displays as they waited to be called back for their appointment at their second boutique of the day.

"To be honest, I didn't really think about weddings when I was little," Donna admitted, glancing from Rachel to their daughters as their laughter echoed across the store.

'Really?" Rachel asked, clearly surprised by Donna's response, "why?"

"I'd never been to a wedding until my cousin got married when I was fifteen," Donna started, pausing for a second while Lily - suddenly bored with running through the store - crawled onto her lap, "and by then I was thinking more about the person I'd be marrying rather than what I'd be wearing when it happened," she finished, absentmindedly smoothing down her daughter's hair and giving a kiss to the top of her head.

An hour and a few handfuls of dresses later and Donna and Lily were waiting in their section of the salon for an attendant to come back and take some final measurements. Donna had never believed the cliche that, when it came to wedding dresses, you just _knew _when you found your dress. Never believed it until it happened to her, that is. The minute the attendant finished the final fastenings in the back and Donna turned to see herself in the mirror she suddenly couldn't imagine another dress. She felt beautiful in a way that none of the other dresses had made her feel and she couldn't help but think about what Harvey would say when he saw her in it. Rachel's immediate excitement and the wonderstruck look on both Lily and Morgan's faces had her even more excited to walk down the aisle to her husband.

Rachel and Morgan had left after snapping a couple pictures of Donna in her dress; Morgan was getting over an ear infection and had started to get fussy, and Rachel needed to stop by the firm to grab something Mike had forgotten. Lily was walking around the room, stopping to look intently at each dress Donna had tried on, but decided against.

"Why did you marry Daddy?" she asked softly as she crossed the room to help Donna look through the photos of veils the attendant had left.

"Because when you love someone the way I love Daddy you want to marry them, and spend as much time as you possibly can with them," Donna answered sweetly, offering her daughter a smile.

"I know that," Lily confirmed, looking up at Donna as she tilted her head to one side, "but why him? Of all the million, trillion people in the world, why did you want to marry Daddy?" she asked again, Donna laughing as she held her hands wide over her head as a visual representation of all the million, trillion people in the world.

"Because," she started, letting out a breath, pausing as she thought about how best to describe all the ways she loved Harvey in a way that would make sense to their six-year-old daughter. "I married Daddy because he makes me happy all the time. Even when I'm really sad, he knows how to make me smile," she explained, glancing down at Lily to see if she understood. Her daughter was staring back at her expectantly, soft smile spread across her face and eyes wide with fascination as she took in her words.

"And," she continued, "he makes me feel safe. When I'm scared or worried, all I need is a hug from him and that makes everything feel a little better. He's the first person I want to share things with when I'm excited," she explained, "like this dress - it's going to be hard to keep this a secret from Daddy because I'm so excited about it!" she added, a smile to mirror Lily's spread across her face.

"So all those things mean you love someone enough to marry them?" Lily asked.

"I think when you miss someone all the time, even if they're only sitting in the next room; that's how you know you love them enough to marry them," Donna said after pausing for a few seconds to think on Lily's question.

"Huh," she said under her breath in reply. Donna couldn't help but laugh slightly at her pursed lips and upwards gaze - telltale signs that her little brain was working overtime to process and form an opinion on what she'd just heard.

"Do you love Daddy more than you love me?" Lily finally asked after a few moments of silence. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, and Donna could tell that the silence that had filled the room was because Lily was finding the courage to ask her question.

"I love you both the same amount, but differently," Donna quickly confirmed to assuage her daughter's fears, scooping her up on her lap and squeezing her into a quick hug.

"How does that work?" Lily asked once they'd broke their hug, still a bit skeptical.

"I love Daddy like peanut butter and jelly, because you can't have one without the other," she explained, "and I love _you _like whipped cream on top of pancakes, because the whipped cream makes something good even better," she finished, pausing as she spoke to give Lily a kiss on the forehead.

Satisfied with the explanation, Lily smiled up at Donna and threw her arms around her neck, squeezing her into a hug. "I love you like whipped cream on top of _blueberry_ pancakes," she said.

"Oh really?" Donna replied, laughing and smiling at her daughter's admission as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "and why is that?"

"Because blueberry are the best kind of pancakes and you're the best kind of Mommy."

* * *

"So I have a question," Harvey said later that night as he crawled into bed beside Donna, his voice dripping with sarcasm and intrigue.

"Yes, and what would that be?" she asked, laughing at his tone of voice as she situated herself under his arm and against his side.

"Why did Lily just ask me if I was the peanut butter or the jelly?" he inquired, which made Donna laugh out loud, Harvey raising his eyebrows at her reaction, all the more excited to hear her explanation.

"While we were dress shopping today, she asked why - out of all the people in the world - I wanted to marry you," she said, smiling at him sweetly recalling her conversation with Lily earlier that day.

"So you told her you love me like peanut butter and jelly?" he sassed, raising one eyebrow at her.

"I said I love you like peanut butter and jelly, because you can't have one without the other," she clarified, "and it made sense to her!" she finished with a defiant huff, her eyes meeting his still skeptical gaze.

He didn't say anything in response, but pulled her tighter into his side, giving her hair a quick kiss as her head fell to his shoulder.

"She sure has been asking a lot of questions recently," Harvey said quietly after a few moments of silence.

"I think it's sweet," she replied, "she's so excited about this wedding, and she's trying to understand love and marriage and all that," she finished, glancing up at her husband.

"Do you think we're setting a good example for her?"

"Harvey," she said matter-of-factly, "today I told her just a handful of all the reasons I love you, and she knew exactly what I was talking about. Just loving us both the way you do everyday is setting the best kind of example for her," she assured him, giving his hand a squeeze as she spoke.

"Well in that case," he said, angling his head to give her lips a quick kiss, "I love you like peanut butter and jelly too."

"For the record, you're the peanut butter," she sassed, pulling her lips back and patting his cheek.

"And why's that?"

"Because some people really like you, and some people are allergic to you," she replied, before he rolled them both over so that he was on top of her, kissing that smug expression right off her face.

* * *

Another Saturday and the two families found themselves spending the evening together, this time at Harvey and Donna's house. Rachel and Donna were in the kitchen, fixing drinks as Rachel showed her some photos the wedding venue had sent over for her approval. Lily and Morgan were playing on the back porch while Mike and Harvey sat in the living room, Mike working desperately to get Harvey to agree to a bachelor party.

"I'm just saying Harvey," Mike said, attempting a new angle at his argument, " I didn't get to do this for you the first time around. What kind of best man would I be if I let you down twice?" he teased gently.

"Alright fine," Harvey relented with a huff after thinking on Mike's words for a moment, "but no nightclubs, and definitely no strippers," he said, firmly laying the ground rules.

"What's a stripper?" a little voice asked, and they both turned to see Lily standing in the doorway between the living room and porch, an inquisitive look on her face.

Harvey crossed the room and scooped her up in his arms so that she was laying horizontally across his forearms, squeezing her sides which made her squeal with laughter. "Something Mommy definitely wouldn't want to hear us talking about," he answered with a laugh of his own, depositing her on the couch between where he and Mike were sitting.

"How does a baseball game sound then?" Mike asked, already knowing that Harvey would agree.

"Can I come?" Lily asked excitedly before Harvey even got a chance to answer.

"Do you like baseball, Chickpea?" Harvey asked, surprised by her question.

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging her shoulders, "but I do like you and Mike," she reasoned.

"Now how can we argue with that," Mike said with a smile, "you and Morgan can be our dates for the day."

* * *

Donna and Rachel gladly let Harvey and Mike take their children to a baseball game, laughing as they imagined the chaos that would ensue, given that neither Lily or Morgan could sit still through a forty minute dinner, let alone an entire baseball game. Both their husbands assured them that they had everything under control as Rachel and Donna left for a day at the spa - Rachel's pre-wedding treat for the bride-to-be.

Despite it being last minute, Mike was able to secure seats along the third base line, right behind the dugout. The Mariners were playing the Yankees and Harvey was pleasantly surprised to see so many Yankee fans in the stadium, given their distance from the city. Lily and Morgan were surprisingly well behaved for the first few innings, the pair sitting between Harvey and Mike and occupied by the small coloring books they received at the gate.

It wasn't until the middle of the fourth inning, once all the pages had been colored and the puzzles had been done, that they started to get fussy. Lily crawled out of her own seat and into Harvey's lap. She stayed there for a bit and, as play resumed, Harvey began to explain what was happening on the field to her, pointing from one player to another as he talked.

In between innings, vendors walked through the aisles selling various food products and as a vendor selling large bags of pink and blue cotton candy passed behind Harvey, both Lily and Morgan's jaws dropped and eyes lit up at the sight. Before either of them could even open their mouths to ask, Harvey shot Mike a knowing glance as if to say 'here we go'.

"Daaaaaddy, can we get some of that pleeeease?" Lily asked, trying her best to ask calmly, despite her excitement.

"Yeah Daaaaady, please can we?!" Morgan added, turning to Mike, looking up at him expectantly.

"I'll take them," Mike said halfheartedly, both he and Harvey knowing that they'd cave eventually. He offered a hand to Lily and Morgan, which they grabbed onto as they excitedly scampered up the stairs.

"Why does Daddy like baseball so much?" Lily asked Mike as they walked along the concourse in search of cotton candy.

"Your grandpa Gordon _loved _baseball," Mike explained, "and he taught your dad all about it."

"Oh," Lily replied quietly, taking a moment to think about what Mike had said, "does it make him sad because he can't play baseball with his daddy anymore?"

"I think a little bit," Mike answered, smiling slightly at her question - despite being just six, Lily was quite the empath, a trait she undeniably inherited from her mother. "But I think it mostly reminds him of all the happy times he and his dad shared. I know he's happy that you wanted to come with him today," he explained.

"Don't tell him I said this," Lily started, her voice barely above a whisper, and Mike had to lean down to hear what she was saying, "but this isn't as boring as I thought it would be!" she admitted, smiling up at Mike as she spoke, her statement causing him to laugh out loud.

"It'll be our little secret, Chickpea," he confirmed.

The game had livened up by the time Mike and the girls returned to their seats, Harvey and Mike easily falling into some light hearted banter as they watched the action unfold in front of them. Lily and Morgan, on the other hand, were too delighted by the giant bag of cotton candy resting between them to focus on much else.

"You're taking all the pink pieces!" Lily shouted at Morgan, her raised voice drawing Harvey and Mike's attention away from the game.

"Stop it! That's my piece!" Morgan shouted back, swatting away Lily's hand as she attempted to grab the large clump of pink cotton candy out of her hands.

"You stop!" Lily cried in response, taking both of her palms and pushing them into Morgan's side. The sudden movement jostled Morgan which caused her to drop the cotton candy onto the ground beneath her seat and she immediately burst into tears at the sight.

Morgan climbed into Mike's lap for comfort as her tears continued to fall, arms latched around his neck and face buried in his chest. Mike began rubbing soothing circles over her back, knowing that his sensitive little girl just needed to let her emotions out for a few minutes.

"Why don't we take a break from the cotton candy for a bit, okay?" Harvey said, grabbing the bag from between the girls, tying it off and setting it beneath his seat for later. Lily turned to face him, pouting slightly and on the verge of tears herself. Harvey could tell that she knew she was in the wrong and was already starting to feel remorseful for making Morgan cry, so instead of telling her what she already knew, he moved his hands so she could rest her head in his lap.

"They really do fight like sisters, you know," Harvey said after a few minutes, turning to Mike who was still holding Morgan in his lap.

"You're right," Mike breathed in response, letting Harvey's words sink in.

"I'm always right," Harvey tossed back sarcastically.

"I'm serious," Mike countered, rolling his eyes, "I'm saying that maybe it's alright if it doesn't happen for us again, because she's already got the best sister we could ask for," he explained, smiling down at Lily as he spoke.

Harvey knew that Mike and Rachel had been trying to get pregnant again for awhile, but were struggling with fertility issues. Mike's words about Lily and Morgan's bond moved him because it was strikingly similar to a conversation he and Donna had had a year or so prior - that if another child wasn't in the cards for them, they were even more grateful that Lily had Morgan.

"So does she," Harvey confirmed, smoothing down her daughter's hair, her head still resting in his lap.

The rest of the game passed uneventfully and Lily and Morgan made up as quickly as they fell out. The foursome left the park in good spirits as the Yankees came back in the last inning to beat the Mariners 4-3, Lily and Morgan excitedly chattering about the win as they walked, the sugary effects of the cotton candy starting to kick in.

On the way out, they passed by a vendor selling ice cream in mini plastic baseball helmets and an idea formulated in Harvey's mind. "You know," he said, coming to a halt in front of the vendor stand, "it isn't _really_ a baseball game without ice cream," he explained, turning towards Lily and Morgan, their eyes wide at the mere mention of the frozen treat.

"Really?!" the girls asked in unison, excited at the thought of getting two treats in one day.

"Really," Harvey confirmed, "but on two conditions. One, no more fighting today. And two, you have to be extra well behaved for your mommies tonight. Deal?"

"Deal!" they replied, looking at each other, and then back at Harvey, giving him a nod.

* * *

Harvey had barely put the car in park in the driveway before Lily and Morgan were flying up the path and through the front door. Harvey and Mike found them in the kitchen, talking over one another and at a mile a minute, excitedly recounting every detail of their day to Rachel and Donna.

"What did you give them, espresso?" Donna jokingly asked her husband, greeting him with a quick kiss.

"Just some cotton candy," he mumbled in response, reaching behind her and grabbing two beers out of the refrigerator, passing one to Mike.

"And ice cream!" Morgan said excitedly, "it was chocolate AND vanilla and had a ton of sprinkles!"

"And it came in a little baseball helmet," Lily added, "but Daddy wouldn't let us keep them because he said they were the wrong team," she explained rolling her eyes slightly which made Donna and Rachel laugh.

"Cotton candy _and _ice cream," Donna repeated, shooting her husband a pointed look, "it sounds like you ladies had quite the day," she said, gesturing to Lily and Morgan who were now drinking from the glasses of water Rachel had passed them.

"Did you or did you not spend the entire day - child free - with Rachel at a spa?" Harvey asked smugly as he sauntered closer to her, arms swinging by his sides before they came to wrap loosely around her waist.

Donna huffed and looked up at him, unable to form an immediate response. She rolled her eyes and smirked at him as she noticed his smile growing wider at her lack of reply.

"See, this is a _compromise,_" he joked after giving her a quick kiss, "you know, the thing you always say great marriages are based on?"

"You're impossible," she grumbled, trying her best to hide the smile she could feel tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"And you get the girls all to yourself tonight," he countered, "Mike and I are off to play poker," he said, before the two men sailed through the front door, leaving Donna and Rachel standing in the kitchen in disbelief while Lily and Morgan chased each other around the island counter.

* * *

It was the night before their wedding and while Harvey, Mike, Louis, Alex, and Marcus spent the evening at a cigar bar, Donna, Rachel, Lily, and Morgan were spending the night having a sleepover in what would become Harvey and Donna's honeymoon suite the following night. They'd decided against doing their honeymoon over as well, opting instead for a family trip with Lily at the end of the year, but Mike and Rachel had insisted they take at least a night, just the two of them.

The foursome had checked in earlier that evening and ordered room service for dinner, which Lily and Morgan had said made them feel very fancy. With the promise of dessert and a movie to follow, they quickly got the girls clean and changed into their adorable matching pink and white footie pajamas. After a brief squabble over which movie to watch, they finally settled on The Little Mermaid, which they watched contently as they devoured warm chocolate chip cookies the size of their faces ordered, once again, from room service as Donna and Rachel brushed through their wet hair.

Both Lily and Morgan's eyelids had grown heavy and by the time the film's final credits rolled, they had drifted off to sleep. Rachel picked up her sleeping daughter and tucked her in under a large blanket on a couch across the room, returning to Donna with a now open bottle of wine. Donna kept Lily where she was, head resting in her lap, as she accepted the glass of wine Rachel was offering.

"Do you remember when the girls were really little?" Rachel asked, turning towards Donna and breaking a few moments of comfortable silence, "Lily was just starting to walk, but Morgan couldn't yet, and she'd just cry and cry every time Lily ran away from her," Rachel finished, laughing at the memory.

"I remember around this time last year - Morgan had lost her first tooth and Lily was so jealous because she hadn't yet," Donna said, pausing to take a sip of wine, "she came home from dinner at your place begging Harvey to just yank one of her teeth out so she could put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy!"

"You know, I asked Morgan the other day if she was sad that she didn't have a sister or a brother," Rachel started, taking a breath, "and she told me she wasn't sad, because she has Lily who's like a best friend and a sister all at once which, in her words, is the best ever," she finished, giving Donna a sincere smile.

"What these two have is better than a sister," Donna replied, letting out a breathy laugh, "because when they're tired of one another, they can leave and go to their own homes," she explained, "no fighting over nonsense or slamming doors."

"Excuse me, did you _not_ witness them fighting over princess movies for ten minutes earlier tonight?" Rachel countered.

"Okay, maybe _less _fighting over nonsense than actual siblings," Donna reasoned.

"Did you ever think we'd end up here one day?" Rachel asked, after taking a moment to refill their wine glasses.

"What? Drinking wine and gossiping while our children sleep?" she jokingly asked, "I'd say we've gotten pretty good at the drinking and the gossip over the past twenty years," she finished, giving Rachel a teasing look.

"No," Rachel said, rolling her eyes and exhaling a sigh, "I mean both of us here, married to the loves of our lives, and with kids of our own," she clarified.

"Truthfully? Not at all," she admitted, letting out a breath of vulnerability as she ran her fingers absentmindedly through Lily's hair. "If you had told me at your wedding that I'd be right here one day, I'd never have believed you," she said.

"Why?" Rachel asked, prying gently.

"There had been so many almosts between us and I was starting to wonder what if maybe none of those almosts had worked out because we weren't supposed to happen," she admitted, glancing down at her hands as she spoke, "I'd started to close myself off to the possibility of us ever being anything more than what we were because I was so tired of picking up the pieces of my broken heart."

Rachel didn't reply immediately, but reached out and gave her friend's hand a squeeze. The two of them sitting there drinking wine on the couch transporting her back to another time - on a different couch in a different city - where she first watched a tearful Donna vocalize some of her regrets and heartbreak.

"Do you wish you'd gotten together sooner?" she asked after a moment.

"I think, as painful as everything we went through was, I don't think our relationship would be as strong as it is now if we didn't weather those storms," Donna replied, pausing for a sip of wine before continuing, "and I don't like to think about the wasted time because that's wasting even more time."

"So, everything happens for a reason then?" Rachel asked with a smile, repeating a line she'd heard Donna say to Lily many times.

"You could say that," Donna replied with a laugh, clinking her glass against Rachel's, "and the reason we're here right now is because my very persuasive daughter convinced me to marry her father all over again."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and as always leave a review with your thoughts! Stay tuned for part 3 where we'll get these crazy kids married - all over again!**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's (finally) wedding day! Time to get these crazy kids married...again ;)**

* * *

She'll always remember the first time that someone else referred to Harvey as her husband, and the way she felt when she heard those words. They'd just finished dinner at Del Posto, the last stop on their impromptu farewell tour of New York. She'd suggested one last night at the restaurant that meant so much to both of them and Harvey immediately agreed, finding it the perfect way to close out their chapter in the city where they fell in love.

She'd run to the bathroom and when she came back to the foyer, she looked around for him. The hostess, picking up on her internal question, clued her in, "your husband went outside to wait for the car," she said with a smile, gesturing to where Harvey stood just outside the door, chatting with the man at the valet stand.

_Your husband_, she thought with a smile, letting the woman's word's sink in. He'd been a lot of things to her over all the years she'd known him - colleague, boss, friend, _lover_, partner, the list went on. But husband was quickly becoming her favorite, because with it came all the honesty they'd been denying themselves since practically the day they met.

Sitting at a vanity in her honeymoon suite wearing the delicate white silk and lace robe Rachel had gotten her, she thought about how far she and Harvey had come since that final Del Posto dinner. They'd settled into their marriage, figured out how to balance their personal and professional lives, and they relied on one another as they parented Lily. At their core though, they were still the same Harvey and Donna they'd always been - she still knew him better than anyone and he still made her laugh at even the stupidest of jokes, and whenever someone referred to Harvey as her husband, her heart still fluttered the same way it did the first time she'd heard it all those years ago.

The muffled sounds of Lily and Morgan's excited chatter in the next room finally pulled her from her thoughts. Exhaling a breath, she looked down at the piece of paper in her hands - her vows for the ceremony later in the day which were, admittedly, much harder to write than the first time around. It was an impossible task, she thought, adequately capturing seven years of marriage and nearly twenty five years of friendship into just a few sentences. As she rose from the vanity, she caught her own reflection in the mirror and she was struck by how happy she looked. And she felt happy too - she was content, settled, and so looking forward to spending the day with her husband celebrating their marriage with their daughter.

Donna's bubble of quiet reflectiveness quickly burst as she made her way into the next room and found Lily and Morgan in fits of giggles, twirling around and enamored by the way their dresses poofed around them in a circle as they did.

Rachel caught Donna's eye and the pair exchanged a smile, laughing under their breaths as they observed their daughters' antics.

"Have you seen Louis?" Donna asked, crossing the room and giving Lily a kiss on the top of her head.

"Yep," Rachel replied, "he's in the hall."

"Louis?" Donna called, poking her head out the front door of the suite and into the hotel hallway.

"Donna!" Louis breathed, turning to face her, "you look beautiful," he gushed.

"Oh stop," she replied, a grin spreading across her face as she pulled him in for a hug. "Come here, there's something I want to ask you," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him into the suite, through the living room and into the small sitting room outside the bedroom.

'What do you need, Donna?" Louis asked, taking a seat across from her.

"Well," she started, pausing as she realized that although she was sure she wanted to ask Louis what she was about to ask him, she hadn't given much thought to how she'd actually ask him. "I was hoping you'd walk me down the aisle," she said, all in one breath.

Louis looked at her, tears appearing in his eyes as she continued to talk, "I hadn't given much thought to all this before, but now that my Dad is gone," she said, pausing as a sad smile spread across her face, "it'd really mean a lot to have you there with me," she finished.

"Donna, I would be absolutely honored," he said sincerely.

"Thanks Louis," she replied, offering him a smile and reaching over to give his hand a squeeze.

* * *

The past couple of days had been chaotic in the Ross house, with Rachel's parents arriving for the wedding and both of them running around on last minute errands. Rachel and Morgan had left in a rush the night before for the hotel, leaving both of their shoes for the ceremony behind. Mike was tasked with bringing them and as he entered the suite, he found Lily sitting in the living room outside the closed door where he could hear the excited chatter of Rachel, Donna, and Morgan. She was sitting in a giant armchair that made her little body look tiny, swinging her leg and scuffing the toe of her shoe along the carpet.

"What's on your mind, Chickpea?" he asked, crossing the room and crouching in front of her, resting his hands on either side of her knees. Lily's gaze was still directed downwards and he could tell something was weighing on her mind so he lifted her chin with his index finger so she was looking at him.

"Yesterday at school, Mrs. Edwards asked us what we were doing this weekend," she started to explain, "and I told my class all about the big wedding party we're having for Mommy and Daddy. But then this mean kid in my class named Danny told me that his mommy and daddy had a big wedding party too, but then they got divorced," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes she spoke. "And he said that was going to happen to my Mommy and Daddy too," she finished, her gaze shifting downwards again.

Mike took a breath before speaking, letting Lily's words sink in. It was clear that she was shaken by what her classmate had said to her, and she wasn't sure how to process what she was feeling. He lifted his hands from the chair and rested them on her knees.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, and she nodded in reply.

"Then do you believe me when I say that your mom and dad are never, _ever _going to get divorced?"

"But how do you know?" she asked hesitantly, a single tear spilling down her cheek.

"I've known your mom and dad for a long time, and so has Rachel, and I've watched them love each other for as long as I've known them, even before they were married," he explained as Lily held his gaze, wanting to believe what he was saying. "Sometimes people fall out of love and get divorced, but that only happens when people aren't right for each other, and your mom and dad are exactly right for one another," he finished, reaching up tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Just like peanut butter and jelly," she whispered, a smile forming on her face.

"What?" Mike asked with a smile, amused by her statement.

"Mommy told me she loves Daddy like peanut butter and jelly, because you can't have one without the other," she explained, her smile growing as she spoke.

"That's exactly right," he confirmed with a nod.

"Do you _promise _Mommy and Daddy are going to love each other forever?" Lily insisted.

"I'll do you one better," Mike replied with a laugh, "I'll _pinky _promise you. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Lily said enthusiastically, latching her pinky onto Mikes.

"Now, what do you say we give Rachel and Morgan their shoes and get this party started?"

* * *

"Donna?" Morgan said quietly, tugging gently on her dress to pull her attention away from her conversation with Rachel.

"What is it, Munchkin?"

"Wow, you look like a princess!" she gushed as Donna turned to face her, little eyes wide at the sight of Donna in her wedding dress.

"You think so?" Donna asked with a laugh, looking down at the little girl in front of her. She had Rachel's hair and complexion, but her smile and the way her bright blue eyes lit up when she got excited were all Mike.

"The most perfect princess _ever_," Morgan confirmed, matter-of-factly.

"I made you a present," she continued, revealing the hand-made card she'd been hiding behind her back, passing it to Donna.

Donna looked down at the card in her hands, smiling at the six stick figures she assumed were herself, Harvey, Mike, Rachel, Morgan, and Lily. Above them, Morgan had written 'Happy Wedding Day!' as neatly as her six-year-old hands would allow.

"Morgan, this is perfect, thank you," she said, bending down to give her a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm really happy that I get to be in your wedding," Morgan said, smiling up at Donna earnestly.

"I'm really happy you're here too," Donna replied, taking a seat and carefully scooping Morgan into her lap.

"I showed my drawing to my teacher and she told me I was a lucky kid because I have _two _mommies and daddies who love me a whole lot," Morgan said, the sweetness of her words catching Donna by surprise.

"Well," Donna replied, "I certainly lucked out with _two _of the coolest daughters in the world."

While Donna and Morgan chatted, Lily was across the room standing in front of the floor length mirror, attempting to get her flower crown to sit on head correctly.

"Do you need help with that?" Rachel asked, coming up behind her and smiling at the look of determination on her face.

Wordlessly, Lily turned to face Rachel and passed her the flower crown, lips pursed slightly in defeat. Rachel crouched in front of Lily and adjusted the head piece so it was resting on top of her auburn hair with the ribbons falling down the back and bobby pinned it in place.

"You know," Rachel said as she arranged the curls around Lily's face," when I was about your age, I was a flower girl too."

"_Really?!" _Lily gushed. "Were you nervous?"

"A bit," Rachel answered, smiling at her question, "but I knew I had a super important job to do, so I was excited about that," she finished.

"Mommy told me I get to walk down the aisle right before her and it's my job to make sure it's all ready for her," Lily said, excitement spreading across her face.

"That's right," Rachel confirmed, returning her smile, "you and Morgan will spread flower petals everywhere so the aisle is fit for a princess."

"If Mommy is a princess, does that mean I'm a princess too?" Lily asked.

"I think we all get to be princesses today" Rachel replied, taking her hand and spinning her around.

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Louis asked, taking his place beside her as they stood outside the ballroom, waiting for their turn to walk down the aisle.

"You know, I have done this before," she teased, her hand finding its place in the crook of his elbow.

"Donna," he said, the tone of his voice sincere as he turned to face her, "you really are the best thing to ever happen to Harvey, you know."

Donna smiled at his words, immediately transported back to another conversation between the two of them, shortly after she and Harvey had gotten together.

"He's the best thing to happen to ever happen to me too," she replied softly, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

"No," Louis challenged, which caught Donna by surprise, "that little girl right there is the best thing to ever happen to you," he explained, gesturing to Lily who'd just started walking down the aisle. "You're an amazing mother."

"She's the best thing to happen to both of us," she said, letting out a breath as a smile spread across her face.

At the other end of the aisle, Harvey stood with Mike and Marcus as the final guests took their seats. Soft music started playing and he turned his attention to the door at the back of the room where first Rachel, then Morgan, and then Lily walked down the aisle. He smiled as he watched Lily - a huge grin spread across her face as she took it all in, scattering rose petals in every direction as she walked.

When she reached the end of the aisle, Harvey bent down to give her a hug. "Mommy looks just like a princess, wait until you see her!" she said, rising to her toes so she could whisper in his ear.

"And so do you," he replied, giving the top of her head a quick kiss before standing up again.

The music ended and a hush fell over the room for just a moment before it started up again, the doors at the back of the room swinging open as the first notes of music filled the air. He felt tears brimming in his eyes the moment he saw her. She was breathtaking. She always looked beautiful to him but today Lily was right, she was something else. Her simple white dress looked like it was made for her, with two thin straps and an asymmetrical neckline that highlighted her collarbones. It fit snugly around her waist, highlighting her curves, and the skirt fell wider towards the bottom, reminding him a bit of the dress she's worn for their first wedding.

As she walked towards him, their eyes met and he could tell she was fighting back tears too. When she reached the end of the aisle, Louis gave her a kiss on the cheek and shook Harvey's hand before joining Sheila and Lucy in their seats in the front row.

He took both of her hands in his and he couldn't help the Cheshire Cat smile that spread across his face, reaching all the way up to his eyes. He was breathless at the sight of her - this incredible woman who had agreed to marry him not just once, but twice.

"You look hot," he whispered as their eyes locked and they shared a smile.

"Easy Specter, not in front of the children," she teased.

After the officiant greeted their guests and said a few words, he turned to Harvey and invited him to recite his vows.

Harvey let out a breath and gave Donna's hand a squeeze before he began speaking. He had a piece of paper in his pocket with his vows scribbled on them, but he didn't need it. He'd poured over those words for hours, wanting to get them exactly right, and he knew them better than any opening statement he'd ever given.

"Donna, there are a lot of things I don't believe in, but I do believe in you. I believe in our marriage, I believe in the family we've created, and I believe that I was put on this earth to love you. And I promise you I'll be doing just that until the last breath leaves my lungs. I'm a better person because of you. You helped me become the man I've always wanted to be, you made me a husband, a father, and even though I doubt myself more often than I should, you always believe in me. I'm better because I get to spend my life loving you."

He studied her expression as he spoke - the soft, content smile spread across her face and the way her eyes seemed to sparkle even as they filled with tears. When he was done, he felt her squeeze his hand a bit tighter and give it a shake - a wordless 'I love you' before she started speaking.

"Harvey, I can hardly remember a time in my life without you in it, because from the moment we met you've been at my side for all the memorable moments, big and small. I can't tell you when I fell in love, but the thing I've loved longest is your loyalty, and how much you care - even back when you said you didn't, I knew you did. You make me happier than I ever knew I could be. You make me feel safe and loved every single day, and just when I think I couldn't possibly love you more, I watch your generosity and patience when you interact with our daughter and I fall in love all over again. You're my partner, and I can't wait to fall in love with you in a million different ways for the rest of my life."

Donna let out a breath as she finished speaking and looked up at Harvey. He was grinning from ear to ear - her favorite type of smile that made his eyes sparkle. She felt herself smiling wider as she realized he had tears in his eyes too. They were sharing a perfect moment, and she was so grateful that Lily and Rachel had convinced them to do this.

"Do you, Harvey Specter, take Donna Paulsen to be your wife, again?" the officiant asked, pulling them both back to reality.

"I do."

"And do you, Donna Paulsen, take Harvey Specter to be your husband, again?"

"Absolutely," she breathed.

"You may now kiss the bride."

The officiant had barely gotten the words out when she felt his hands around her waist, pulling her lips towards his. She sighed into the kiss as the room burst into applause, but she didn't hear any of it - she too so wrapped up in the moment and in her husband's arms.

Mindful that their daughter was standing at his side, he did his best to keep the kiss age appropriate, but he couldn't resist biting her bottom lip and inviting her tongue into his mouth ever so slightly. As they deepened the kiss, he so was consumed by her warmth and the happiness radiating off of her it almost overwhelmed him.

He held her close for a few seconds after they parted, eyes locked on hers and hoping she truly understood how much he loved her. He felt a little hand tugging on the side of his suit jacket and turned to see Lily looking up at him, sporting a wide grin identical to her mothers. He scooped her up into his arms and placed a kiss on her cheek as Donna pulled the two of them into a tight hug.

* * *

They ran over their allotted time with the photographer after the ceremony, but no one cared. They were all having too much fun, enjoying one another's company and soaking up the infectious happiness of the day. Harvey and Donna posed for at least a hundred photos, but it was the candids of their stolen glances, gentle touches, and uninhibited laughter that the photographer captured that would become their favorites, framed and displayed around their house for years to come.

Lily and Morgan were fascinated by the whole ordeal and wanted to be in almost every picture. The photographer was happy to oblige, saying that they were some of the cutest kids he'd ever seen. There were two photos from the day that became Lily's favorites - one of her and Morgan hand in hand as they spun around in a circle, heads tossed back in laughter with their hair cascading down their backs and flower crowns slightly askew. The second was a picture of her with her parents. She was resting on her mom's hip and the two of them were smiling widely at the camera while her dad looked at his girls in the softest way she'd ever seen.

* * *

Mike and Rachel stood up from their positions at the center table as dinner began. Instead of the traditional Best Man and Matron of Honor speeches, they decided to give a joint one since they both knew the couple incredibly well and, as the DJ passed Mike the microphone and he took their handwritten speech out of his pocket and passed a copy to Rachel, a hush fell over the room.

"Rachel and I have known Donna and Harvey for a long time," he started, looking first to his wife, and then the couple in question.

"Practically since the start of both of our careers," she added.

"On my first day working with them, I thought they were married - or at least dating. They were so comfortable around one another, and worked together so well - always anticipating each other's needs."

"I corrected him before he could say something stupid, but honestly, everyone thought they were."

"But they weren't."

"And a lot of things had to happen first for us to get here."

"I won my first case, even though I lost in housing court."

"I _finally _passed the LSATs."

"I got promoted to senior associate."

"I applied to law school, and got rejected."

"We started dating."

"Harvey got his name on the wall."

"I applied to law school _again _and got accepted."

"I quit my job at the firm and started working as an investment banker."

"I became Harvey's associate."

"I came back to the firm, and Harvey gave me his old office."

"We got engaged."

"I got arrested, and then went to prison."

"I worked on a death row case."

"I got out of prison and started working at a legal clinic."

"I almost took a job at another firm."

"Harvey got me into the Bar"

"I graduated and then _I _got into the Bar."

"Donna got promoted to COO."

"We got married."

"And we told our best friends we were moving to Seattle," Rachel said, taking a breath.

"And then, one morning out of the clear blue sky, we both wake up to voicemails from Harvey and Donna," Mike continued with a smile.

"Telling us that they finally, finally, _finally _had gotten together."

"I couldn't believe it, so I took a case in New York and flew out there to see it for myself," Mike teased.

"It may have taken us a _decade _to get here," Rachel added, "but as Donna so often tells me, everything works out the way it's supposed to."

"Because the love they have for one another is built on the strongest foundation of friendship, trust, and understanding I've ever seen."

"And they spent all those years building themselves into a person with the capacity to love someone else unconditionally and without reservations."

"And even though Rachel and I have been married longer," he joked, "their relationship is an example to both of us."

"They have this ability to not only hear one another, but _really _listen and understand. The sense of compassion they show one another is remarkable."

"They're partners in every sense of the word, and that partnership has made them incredible parents."

"We're so lucky that our own daughter not only has another set of adult role models in Harvey and Donna, but a best friend in Lily," Rachel gushed, offering Lily a warm smile.

"If you'd told us ten years ago that we'd be sharing our lives with them in the way that we are, we never would have believed you."

"But we feel honored to have front row seats to their love story."

"To Harvey and Donna," Mike finished, lifting his glass and inviting everyone else to do the same.

"To Harvey and Donna," the room echoed.

* * *

After dinner plates had been cleared, the cake had been cut by Donna and Harvey and sufficiently shoved into one another's faces, they made their way to the dance floor for their 'first dance'.

Even though their first first dance song had suited them perfectly, it was chosen quickly from a list that Louis' DJ had easy access to. For the second time around, Donna had given it a lot of thought, spending hours pouring through song after song until she found exactly what she'd been looking for. She wanted to find a song that fit their relationship, but also celebrated their marriage, and their commitment to one another. As she felt Harvey's hand wrap around her waist and saw the smile spread across his face as the opening notes of 'I Choose You' by Sara Bareilles echoed around the room, she knew she made the perfect choice.

_Tell the world that we finally got it all right_

_I choose you_

_I will become yours and you will become mine_

_I choose you_

_I choose you_

"Why did you pick this song?" He asked as he twirled her around the dance floor in time to the song's upbeat tempo. She'd asked him if he wanted to help her pick the song, but he let her do it, preferring to be surprised with her pick.

"Because it's happy," she said simply, "and it just felt like us."

"What do you mean?"

"It just sounds like a celebration to me," she explained, "it's like - we're here, we made it, and now we get to live."

_But you found me_

_And everything's changed_

_And I believe in something again_

"You're right," he breathed, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm always right," she tossed back without missing a beat.

"Well, you're especially right this time," he said, which made her laugh out loud.

_My whole heart_

_Will be yours forever_

_This is a beautiful start _

_To a lifelong love letter_

"I'm really glad we did this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Me too," he replied, "me too."

_Tell the world that we finally got it all right_

_I choose you_

The evening wore on and the dance floor became crowded as their guests joined them in celebration. Donna and Harvey rotated amongst friends and family but found their way back to each other every few songs.

Taking a break to rest her feet, Donna looked out at the crowd on the dance floor as she sipped her champagne. She smiled as she watched Lily, Morgan, and Lucy dancing to the music, laughing and playing as they did. It'd been awhile since all they people they loved had been together in one room and she took it all in. If a perfect moment existed, it was this one right here and she wanted to remember it forever.

Out on the dance floor, Harvey held onto Katrina loosely as they chatted and danced along to whatever song was playing. As the song ended and the next began, he recognized the opening notes and excused himself in search of Lily.

He found her in a corner of the dance floor, laughing and playing with Lucy and Morgan. He crouched down so he was eye level with her before he spoke.

"May I have this dance, Miss. Specter?" he asked, extending his hand as he spoke. She nodded in reply and placed her little hand in his, following him to the center of the dance floor.

_I know a girl_

_She puts the color inside of my world_

_But she's just like a maze_

_Where all of the walls continually change_

From her place at the head table, Donna caught sight of Harvey spinning Lily around in his arms on the dance floor. Listening to the words of the song playing, she couldn't help the few tears that pooled in her eyes. Lily thought her dad hung the moon and the stars along with it and Donna would never tire of witnessing their sweet father-daughter moments.

_Fathers be good to your daughters_

_Daughters will love like you do_

_Girls become lovers who turn into mothers_

_So mothers be good to your daughters too_

She was so caught up in watching Harvey and Lily that she didn't even notice Mike slide into the seat beside her. "Care to dance?" he asked, offering her his hand and pulling her to standing.

_Oh, you see that skin?_

_It's the same she's been standing in_

_Since the day she saw him walking away_

"You don't realize how much you miss them until they're not here for the big moments," Mike said, understanding where her mind must have wandered to, given the song and they way she was watching Lily and Harvey.

Mike's words caught her off guard, but as she inhaled to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over, she realized how right he was. The only thing she regretted about calling off their wedding when she found out she was pregnant was the fact that her dad never got the chance to dance with her on her wedding day - something he admitted he'd always dreamed of doing and missed out on the first time around.

"Thanks, Mike," she breathed, wrapping her arm tighter around his back and pulling him into a hug.

* * *

With only a few guests left milling about the room and saying their final goodbyes, Mike, Louis, and Harvey found themselves standing at the bar sharing a scotch. They were chatting about the day when Louis pointed out their daughters across the room.

The three girls were chasing each other around one of the tables. Except, instead of running on the ground, they were hopping from chair to chair. It was well past all of their bedtimes, yet they seemed to have an endless supply of energy - a direct result of the generous helpings of cake they'd consumed throughout the night.

"Lily, that looks kind of dangerous!" Harvey called across the room, hoping she'd hear him and get down.

"Not to me because I'm not looking!" she tossed over her shoulder without missing a beat, her quick response making both Mike and Louis laugh as Harvey rolled his eyes.

"She's going to be a lawyer one day, mark my words," Louis said.

"God help us all if she is," Harvey said, "she's six and I can barely win an argument with her as it is."

"That's because fatherhood turned you into a big old softie," Mike teased.

"Has not," Harvey refuted with a huff.

Just then, Lily came racing over and stopped in front of Harvey, slightly out of breath. "Daddy, can I have another Shirley Temple? Pleeeeease?!" she asked, looking up at him and batting her eyelashes.

"Only if you promise not to tell Mommy," he said, nodding to the bartender who began preparing her drink.

"Softie," Mike muttered under his breath as Louis stifled a laugh.

* * *

After one last round of goodbyes with Mike, Rachel, and Lily, Harvey and Donna made their way to the honeymoon suit where Donna had gotten ready that morning. Donna scurried into the bathroom to change into the white lingerie that accompanied the robe Rachel had given her as Harvey popped the bottle of champagne left by housekeeping and put it on ice.

Harvey's back was to her when she left the bathroom, so she paused in the doorframe and leaned against one side, waiting for him to turn around.

"I stand by my previous statement," he said, sauntering over to her, his eyes giving her scantily clad body a once over.

"Oh really," she teased as his hands found her waist and her arms landed on his shoulders, "and what was that?"

"That my wife is _hot_," he breathed, his thumbs tracing patterns on her hip bones.

"You know, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of hearing you call me your wife," she said as her fingers toyed with the short hairs at the base of his neck.

"That's great, because I'm never going to get tired of you being my wife," he whispered before pulling her bottom lip between his.

"Harvey," she breathed when they parted, "I'm really really happy."

"Me too," he replied, before his lips found hers again.

They fell onto the bed a tangled mess of limbs and what followed was intentional as much as it was adventurous, loving as much as lustful. Fingers interlocked and eye contact never wavering. A charged energy surrounded them as they explored familiar places because, for all the times they'd made love, they'd never done it at the end of an entire day dedicated to celebrating their love and commitment.

Afterwards, they laid wrapped up in each other's warmth, sipping champagne and enjoying the sense of calm they always felt after being together.

"What was your favorite part of the day?" Donna mumbled, snuggling deeper into his side.

Harvey smiled at the question as it was one they often asked Lily as they were putting her to bed. Donna, especially, wanted her to understand that good could be found in even the worst days, so almost every night they challenged her to find a little spot of sunshine.

"What we just did right here," he replied, his voice thick with smug satisfaction.

"Harvey!" she said, playfully smacking his bare chest, "that doesn't count!"

"And why not?" he asked before stealing a quick kiss.

"Because I said so," she whispered when they parted.

"Dancing with you," he said after a moment's contemplation, "I don't get to do that enough."

"I saw you and Lily dancing too," she said, "she's going to remember that forever, you know."

He didn't reply immediately, but pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, taking a second to inhale her scent.

"What was your favorite part?"

"Seeing all the people we love in the same place," she said simply, "I don't think we've gotten everyone together since," she paused, taking a moment to think.

"Since the first time we hosted Thanksgiving here," he said, finishing her sentence, "when you burned the turkey," he added, clearly baiting her.

"Excuse me Mr., I did not _burn _the turkey!"

"Donna, it was black," he attempted to reason.

"It was _well done_," she retorted.

"And it tasted like the bottom of a fireplace," he teased, finding it funny that years later, she was still bothered by the whole ordeal.

"Whatever," she huffed.

"But the dessert was perfect," he said.

"Yeah burgers followed by pecan pie, the quintessential American Thanksgiving," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It was perfect," he assured.

"You have to say that, I'm your wife."

"Alright, it was weird," he admitted which made her laugh, "but it was certainly memorable."

A comfortable silence enveloped them for a few minutes as his fingers raked through her hair and she traced mindless patterns across her abdomen. These were her favorite moments with her husband - the times when they had each other's undivided attention, telling old stories and laughing about nonsense. She let out a content sigh as she turned slightly to face him, chin resting on his chest and face angled up so her eyes met his.

"Do you remember the first time we brought Lily on a plane?" she asked, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"You're really going to bring that up?" he asked, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"You started it."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, attempting to dismiss the conversation.

Lily was four months old, and they were taking her back to the East Coast for the first time to surprise Donna's mom for her birthday. About an hour into the flight, Lily had woken up from her nap and started to get fussy, so Harvey took her to the bathroom to change her and settle her down. He returned to their seats with a calm Lily, but with chunks of baby vomit all over his grey t-shirt.

"I _did _tell you to pack an extra shirt in your carry on, just in case," she pointed out, which made him roll his eyes. "_How _many years in and you're still forgetting I'm always right," she teased, lifting her chin and capturing his lips in a kiss.

"Maybe one of these days I'll learn," he said, shifting positions and rolling them over so he was laying on top of her, his knees resting between her legs.

"I guess I'll just have to stick around then," she teased as her hands found the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers once again.

* * *

"Is everyone decent?" Mike called as he opened the front door of Donna and Harvey's house late the next afternoon. They'd enjoyed a rare child-free morning with breakfast in bed, followed by a soak in their room's large bathtub and a late lunch at the hotel's restaurant before finally returning home.

Donna and Harvey smiled at each other from their place on the couch in the living room as they heard cabinets slamming and stools scraping across the kitchen floor, telltale signs that Lily was searching for a snack.

"Lily, can you come in here?" Donna called and seconds later, they heard her running through the house towards them.

"Hi Chickpea," Harvey said, standing up and scooping her into his arms, squeezing her side as he did which made her squeal with laughter. "How was your sleepover?" he asked as he returned her to the ground.

"SO fun!" she declared, "Mike helped Morgan and I make a fort in the living room this morning and we watched _two_ princess movies!"

"We have a surprise for you," he said, and Lily looked up at him, eyes wide, as he spoke.

"_Really?!" _

"You were such a big help with everything for the wedding that we thought you deserved a treat," Donna added.

"What is it?!" she asked, her excitement and curiosity growing as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

"Why don't you open the bathroom door and find out for yourself?" Harvey said, gesturing to the door in question as Lily quickly scampered across the room and pulled the door open.

"Oh my gosh a real live puppy?!" she shrieked, her reaction making Donna and Harvey laugh out loud, waking up the puppy who had been snoozing most of the afternoon. After much back and forth, they'd decided on a labradoodle, knowing that Lily would love how fluffy she was. It was Harvey who decided on the chestnut colored one with bright blue eyes, Donna teasing him that he just brought another redhead he wouldn't be able to say no to into the house.

"Hi puppy! My name is Lily," she said, dropping to her knees in front of the small dog and running her hands through her soft fur.

"What do you want to name her?" Donna asked from where she and Harvey stood behind her, a smile stretched across her face as she watched Lily gently interacting with the dog.

"Pancakes," she said without much hesitation. "Your name is Pancakes," she repeated, "and maybe one day you'll have a sister and we can name her Whipped Cream."

"Donna," Harvey whispered, wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her into his side, "you can get that kid as many dogs as you want but we are _never _letting her name one Whipped Cream."

"You're right," she replied, her tone low, "some things have to stay sacred."

* * *

**A/N:** **Thanks for taking this little journey with our favorite couple and their little family. I've got thoughts for a short and sweet epilogue brewing, so stay tuned for that :) Please leave a review and let me know your thought! **


	4. Chapter 4

**We're back with a quick little epilogue for what's probably the fluffiest fic I'll ever write :')**

**As per usual, thanks to my A+ beta, Sarah**

"I was six years old when I convinced my parents to get married," she began, looking out in the crowd and watching as some guests smiled in recognition.

"I mean, _technically_, they got married about a year before I was born," she clarified, "but really, what's a wedding without a party?" she said, hearing her parents' breathy laughs from their place at the table beside her.

"I remember so much about that day, and everything that went into it," she continued, "because it was the coolest, fanciest, and most exciting thing my six-year-old eyes had ever seen. And even though it'd be years before I fully understood what it means to be _in love_, I just knew I was witnessing something rare as I watched my parents recite their vows and dance the night away in each other's arms."

A small crowd was gathered at a restaurant on the Long Island Sound to celebrate Harvey and Donna's 30th wedding anniversary. They'd moved back to the east coast after Lily had graduated high school and Mike and Rachel had followed about a year later, both couples wanting to spend their golden years a bit closer to their extended families. Despite Donna's insistence that she didn't want a big 'to do' for their anniversary, Lily, Rachel, and Morgan completely ignored her and got to work planning the surprise that was currently unfolding around them. The ear to ear grins on both her parents' faces when they arrived earlier in the evening assured Lily that she'd made the right call.

"When I was little," Lily continued, looking over to where her parents sat - her dad's arm around the back of her mom's chair as she leaned into his side slightly, "I thought my parents were the coolest people in the world. I was absolutely enchanted by them, relished the time I got to spend in their presence, and sometimes felt sad that I was the only kid who got to call them mom and dad," she said as a few soft "awws" echoed around the room.

"I remember when I was nine, my school closed for an entire week because a pipe burst. My dad spent half a day trying to work through the assigned materials my teacher had sent before deciding he was going to teach me his own way. He went out and got a giant box of sidewalk chalk and we spent the rest of the week drawing the whole world on the walls of his study. We worked through fraction problems and long division, I traced the outline of his body and drew all his organs, we played hangman and listed all the states in alphabetical order, and drew whatever else came to our minds," Lily said, turning towards Harvey and sharing a smile with him as she recalled the memory.

"My mom and Rachel had been in Italy that week for Rachel's birthday, so imagine her surprise when she came home to such chaos in her immaculately decorated home," Lily continued, eliciting laughs from those who knew Donna well. "One of my dad's favorite things is leaving my mom speechless and it's safe to say that she was speechless as she took in what we'd been up to."

"I remember this moment so vividly, almost like I was watching it in slow motion - my mom was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and head slightly tilted as she took it all in. She was quiet for a moment before a smile stretched across her face and she lifted her eyes to meet my dad's. When their eyes met, she shook her head slightly and that action made him smile so wide it reached the corners of his eyes. It was like a whole conversation had taken place without any words, just eye contact and the shake of a head, and I thought wow, love must be a powerful thing if so much can pass through two people without either of them speaking."

Lily paused for a moment to take a sip of water, glancing over to her parents as she did. They were still seated in the same position as earlier, but now they were turned towards one another, eyes locked and identical smiles spread across their faces that transported Lily back to that day in her dad's office twenty years ago.

"If you ask my mom, she'll say that I inherited my dad's temper, but he'll tell you that I'm as stubborn as she is," Lily said, and from the corner of her eye saw both her parents laugh at this admission. "But the reality is that I'm a little bit of both, and that made for some dramatic times as I became a teenager. There were more shouting matches punctuated with slamming doors and awful things said in the heat of the moment than I'd care to admit and, while my dad's desire to protect me from getting hurt in even the smallest of ways and my mom's ability to see through my very poorly crafted lies annoyed me to no end in the moment," she admitted with a laugh, "I never felt their love more fully than when I'd come back, tail between my legs, to apologize for whatever nasty things I'd said and they'd wrap me in their arms and let me cry about what had caused the fight in the first place."

"A few weeks before I graduated high school, my mom surprised me with a two week trip to Paris for the two of us later that summer. I'd grown up hearing all about Paris from her, and knew it was one of her favorite cities in the world. I also knew that the trip she'd planned for us was one she never had the chance to take with her own mother, and it was clear how much it meant to her that it was something we could do together," Lily paused to take a breath and stole a glance at Donna, who had tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Lily swallowed in an attempt to keep her own tears at bay before continuing. "We did everything you'd expect two women to do in Paris," she said, "we shopped, we went sightseeing, we ate, and we drank - a lot," she joked, "but more than anything we talked. We talked about everything and nothing, and we stayed up all hours of the night drinking wine, ordering overpriced room service desserts, and gossiping and laughing like a couple of teenagers at a sleepover."

"I've had friends who've talked about their struggle transitioning to an adult relationship and friendship with their parents, but for me, that transition was seamless," she continued. "They've always trusted me to make my own decisions and, because of that, I trust them not to judge me or get too upset when I mess up or need their help. My mom is my best friend," Lily said simply, glancing over at her parents again and smiling sincerely at Donna, "she has been my entire life, but that Paris trip laid the foundation for the relationship we have now and I couldn't imagine anything different."

Lily paused to take a breath and sip of water before continuing. The few times she'd practiced in the mirror, what she was about to say was where she'd gotten choked up. She took another breath and turned towards her parents before speaking again.

"You gave me the happiest childhood I could have ever imagined," she said simply, "I grew up feeling safe, I never doubted that I was loved, and I felt completely and utterly supported. I wasn't afraid to dream big, or take risks because I knew that you'd be there to catch me if I fell, or celebrate me if I stuck the landing," she said. "Even when I was five and told you I wanted to be a giraffe when I grew up, you didn't discount my crazy dream. You told me that if I kept on stretching my neck it just might happen - and you both laughed alongside me and we spent an afternoon on the porch stretching our necks to the sky," Lily said, laughing as she saw her parents crack identical smiles.

"When people tell me I'm the perfect blend of both my parents," Lily continued, "I like to think they mean more than just the fact that I have my mom's hair and complexion, or my dad's eyes," she explained. "I'm empathetic like my mom, and deeply committed to the people I care about like my dad. I've had the best examples growing up and as many times as I say it, I'll never be able to express the depth of my gratitude for both of them in raising me the way they did," she finished.

"Planning my own wedding has been an exciting time, not just for Aaron and I," she said, placing her hand on her fiancé's shoulder as he sat next to her, "but for me and my parents as well. It's given me an opportunity to think about what I want my own marriage to be, and I couldn't imagine having a more perfect example to follow," she said, once again smiling at her parents. "Their relationship is one that has been protected, carefully tended to over the years, and is stronger every day not just because of how much they love each other, but because of how much effort they put into loving one another."

"They love each other at their best," she continued, "and at their worst. They give each other permission to be their whole selves - to come as they are, baggage and all, and they love every single piece of each other. Growing up seeing that kind of love every day made me think that everyone had something like that in their lives, but as I've grown older I've realized that what they have is rare - it's something to treasure, it's something to aspire to, and it's certainly something to celebrate every single day."

"If, thirty years down the road, Aaron and I are even a fraction as happy as they two of you continue to be," Lily said, turning to smile at her parents, "I'll consider my marriage a great success."

"Now," Lily said, turning towards the guests and raising her glass for a toast, "please join me in wishing happy anniversary to my two most favorite people! I love you both like whipped cream on top of blueberry pancakes," she said, smiling widely at both of her parents as the tears that had been pooling in the corner of her eyes finally spilled over.

Lily kept her gaze on her parents as the rest of the room toasted to their marriage. She watched as Harvey wrapped one arm around Donna's waist, pulling her closer so he could press a kiss to her temple. Lily's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much and she felt a couple tears roll down her cheeks, overwhelmed by the love she felt for both of them. She knew her dad would tease her for crying so much, but she didn't care.

As the applause continued, Lily took a few steps to where her parents sat at the table next to her. Wordlessly, Donna pulled her and Harvey into a tight embrace, smoothing her hand down the back of Lily's hair like she did when she was little and couldn't sleep. Harvey placed a kiss on the top of her head as Donna shifted to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, Chickpea, so much."

**Thanks, as always, for reading, and for taking this little journey with the Paulsen Specter family. Please leave a review if you enjoyed :)**


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